Penguins season ticket holders will return to PPG Paints Arena

With approval from Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf and the PA Department of Health, PPG Paints Arena will be able to host Penguins fans at 15% of normal capacity

For the first time in nearly a year, March 8, 2020 against the Carolina Hurricanes to be exact, PPG Paints Arena will host fans—even if those fans are exclusively season ticket holders for now.

2,800 fans will be allowed to return for the Penguins’ contest against the Philadelphia Flyers Tuesday night. With 20 home games left on the schedule, including 12 in March, fans will have the opportunity to make a long-awaited return this season.

While season ticket holders will have the first crack at tickets, via an exclusive pre-sale sent directly to those ticket holders, the excess tickets will then be made available to the general public.

There’s no word yet on when those tickets will be on sale for the general public.

David Morehouse president and CEO of the Penguins was quoted in the Penguins’ press release expressing his gratitude for the Pens being able to welcome fans back.

"It is a great day for hockey, indeed, and we are very excited for our fans. We are grateful to Governor Wolf, Health Secretary Alison Beam and their team for their continuous communication and support. We also are thankful for the help and guidance we received from our partners at UPMC for helping us to prepare a detailed plan for a safe re-opening, as well as County Executive Rich Fitzgerald and Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto. We are focused on giving our fans the safest and most efficient experience possible inside PPG Paints Arena – where they belong."

Like with other sports, fans will be socially distanced into segments of either two or four people, and those fans will be given detailed information on when and where to arrive at the arena.

The arena experience for Penguins fans this season will be drastically different than any other season, with COVID-19 protocols in place to help make Pens games as safe as possible.

There will not be physical tickets this season, as mobile tickets shown on a smartphone will be required for all fans to enter the building. Upon entering the arena, fans will be asked a few questions and make a verbal health promise.

All bags are prohibited from the arena, with the exception of diaper and medical bags, and all fans over the age of two will be required to wear their face mask for the duration of their time inside the building.

In addition to no physical tickets, all transactions inside the arena will be cashless, with credit/debit cards and Apple/Google pay accepted.

With the strides made with the COVID vaccine and increased health protocols over the past few weeks, Governor Wolf and the PA Health Department obviously felt like sporting events could safely support a limited number of fans. While this is great news for the future of returning fans to games, fans who do return to the arena need to ensure all protocols and requirements are followed to ensure maximum effectiveness of protecting others.

The Penguins will be back in action against the Flyers Tuesday night, and if you look closely, you might see some fans in the crowd.